


Doomed Love

by Teague (macteague)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-02-22
Updated: 2002-02-22
Packaged: 2019-10-17 05:44:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17554502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/macteague/pseuds/Teague
Summary: The Gryffindor boys want to find out what the girls really think of them. They find it's not as comfortable to know as they thought it would be.





	Doomed Love

**Author's Note:**

> This was first posted Feb 22, 2002. Please note that there's some fairly period-typical uneasiness expressed by teenage boys at the idea of two of their male classmates dating for a few minutes there. It's brief, but please judge for yourself if this otherwise fluffy story is suitable for you!
> 
> Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns the characters and entire backstory of this. Not mine, not using them for profit, merely for entertainment and to increase my writing skills. Consider this a sincere form of flattery.

"What are THESE?" asked Lee Jordan in horror as the twins dropped a pile of what appeared to be primitive magazines on his bed.

"These," said Fred with a grin, "are what the girls have been up to all year."

"They've been making their own 'Hogwarts Girl!' magazines," George added. "Complete with quizzes, articles, and pictures. We found Susan Bones's stash and borrowed them for the evening."

"We invited a few people, they should be here soon. Now we can all find out what the girls think of us. Apparently, there's even a ‘Cutest Guy of the Week’…" Fred was laughing as he picked up one of the magazines, only to have it grabbed from his hands by George.

"Wait till everybody's here!" he ordered.

It wasn't long before people started arriving. Far more than the twins had invited in fact. Eventually, there were about 20 of them squished into the room. The twins were surprised to see a half-awake Percy there as well, evidently brought in by his roommates. Neither of them was going to say anything about it and give him the opportunity to shut down the entertainment.

"Okay, everybody ready to find out what the girls are really thinking?" Fred asked, practically dancing with anticipation.

Sounds of half-hearted agreement were made, which Fred generously ignored as he picked up the first magazine. "Okay, here's the first issue. Let's see... An article on the latest trends in robes, hair-setting spells, oh here we go... For the first ever Cute Guy of the Week, we vote..." he trailed off dramatically, and noted the slight increase in interest around the room. "Oliver Wood!" he announced, turning the magazine around so they could see the picture of Oliver grinning as he walked to the Quidditch Pitch. Says here that: "

**_Oliver Wood is certainly a hottie; Quidditch never looked so good!_ **

Everyone turned to look at Oliver, who was squirming with embarrassment over by the back wall. Fred snickered evilly...this was even more fun than expected! He skimmed through. Nothing more in this one, just a request for writers for the next issue.

This time he skimmed straight to the good part. "Oh, cute guy is Cedric this time," he grumbled.

Groans rose up and disparaging comments about Hufflepuffs were made.

Fred and George exchanged a look of glee as they noticed their audience sitting up and looking a lot more interested now. This was going to be fun…

 

~~~

 

Fred, still laughing over the run-down of Hogwarts Best-Dressed Guys, opened the next magazine. Lee Jordan, he noticed, had actually fallen over on the bed behind him from laughing so hard. Of course, he actually made the list, unlike the twins. "Okay," he said, "We've got some more 'Dear Morgan' letters here. First one:"

Dear Morgan, I really want to change my look

"No, no that's boring..." he muttered, skimming through, looking for something interesting. When his eyes reached the headline "Doomed Love" he knew he'd hit the jackpot. "Here we go:"

 

**_Dear Morgan,_ **

**_I’ve had a crush on Oliver Wood for two years, but nothing I've done seems to catch his attention. What can I do to make him see that he's the one for me?_ **

**_Lovelorn in fourth year._ **

 

Oliver, whose name kept coming up so often that he was developing a permanent blush, dropped his head into his hands and slid down the wall to sit next to Percy on the floor. "Why me?" he moaned. Percy looked decidedly more awake now and highly amused by his roommate’s pain. Of course, Fred would never have expected Percy's name to come up in these things so often! He'd been grinning since the fourth magazine, when he'd been the "cutest guy".

"If you're done with the dramatics," Fred taunted, "We'll find out Morgan's advice. Here it is:"

Dear Lovelorn, I have two words for you:

"Gay", and "Percy".

The room got very, very quiet for a moment before Ron started laughing. Fred glanced at George, who was looking very alarmed, but the room was now ringing with the laughter of the other boys, who evidently thought the very idea was ridiculous. It didn't escape Fred's notice that none of Oliver's friends were laughing either. His stomach twisted uneasily.

"Well, THAT was interesting," Fred said firmly. "Moving on, we've got the... oh here we go,  **10 ways to tell if he likes you**  quiz!" They'd come across several of these already and universally developed extreme self-consciousness at the realization of just how closely their every reaction was being studied. Fred thought it would nicely sidetrack them from the issue of his brother and Oliver.

"Go back and read the rest of the answer about Oliver," Lee protested. "There's a whole long thing about it!"

The chorus of agreement left Fred with a dilemma. To read the rest and possibly have people start really wondering about his brother and Oliver, or refuse to and have people convinced Percy was gay. Fred had heard the whispers when his brother had started dating Penelope... People had been surprised, as it had been rumoured for years that he was "that way". He'd dismissed the rumours at the time, but Percy was looking rather pale right now.

Making a decision, he turned back to the page. "She says:"

 

_**There are several facts backing up this common theory. From Oliver’s side:** _

  1. _**Oliver’s dated nine girls in the seven years he’s been at**_ Hogwarts, _ **and not one of them warranted a second date from him.**_
  2. _**He spends an inordinate amount of time watching Percy. Check them out some night in the library. Percy will be at his usual spot tutoring, Oliver will be at the table in the back right corner.**_
  3. _**There is no way Oliver can need THAT much tutoring in Arithmancy.**_
  4. _**He does more**_ maneuvering _ **and strategizing to sit next to Percy at meals than he does in Quidditch.**_



_**Lest you think this is a doomed love on his part and you can woo him back to the straight side of the force:** _

  1. _**Percy has dated precisely one girl during his stay here, and while Penny is too polite to say much, she claims they broke up because "she really didn’t think she was what he was looking for".**_
  2. _**If you catch the two of them off somewhere alone, you’ll be amazed how relaxed Percy seems around him.**_
  3. _**Watch Percy’s face when Oliver’s playing Quidditch. ‘nuff said.**_



_**I’m sorry Lovelorn, but your love is doomed. Like so many before you, you will just have to give up and move on. Whether they’re dating or not, Oliver is definitely taken. Morgan commends you on your excellent taste in men**_ however _ **!**_

 

Fred finished the recitation feeling horribly embarrassed, mind racing as he tried to review what he'd seen of Oliver and Percy's interaction lately to find some argument that would prove the incriminating list wrong. And failed as he looked around the group of boys shifting uneasily. He glanced at the two people everyone was making an effort not to look at. They were still seated on the floor leaning against the wall, but both now stared silently and stiffly at the floor. He realized they were sitting less than an inch apart and wondered that he hadn't noticed it before.

George laughed, a sharp, nervous sound that made everybody jump. "Girls. They think everybody is gay. If you go by how much time guys spend together, they'd have Fred and me dating!" He laughed again, doing a better job at it, and chuckles broke out around the room, as people began to relax.

Fred silently gave thanks to the gods of Plausible Deniability. Given the chance to not believe something that made them uncomfortable, they'd leap on it. Soon the jokes were flying as the boys each claimed to be in love with their friends, dramatically declaring girlfriends were a mere front. As long as it was a joke, everyone was fine with it. Fred avoided looking at his older brother for the rest of the evening. He stuck to the quizzes and "cutest guy" column through the rest of the magazines. And made a dramatic show of disbelief as he found he and George never showed up in the column. By the time he reached the last of the magazines and people started to leave, he had almost forgotten about the uncomfortable moments, and slumped on his bed with the contented feeling of having laughed himself nearly sick.

"Fred," whispered George a few minutes later.

"What?"

"They were walking three feet apart when they left."

Fred considered pretending he didn't know what his twin was talking about, but gave up. "So?"

"So they usually do walk right close together."

"That doesn't mean anything. We walk close together."

"Yeah, but now they're not. Like they're ashamed."

"As far as I know, they have nothing to be ashamed about. Even if they were dating, you know, they wouldn't need to be ashamed. People would feel a little strange at first, but they'd get over it!"

"Would they?"

Fred sat up, startled. "Of course they would! This isn't the stone ages!"

"Yeah, that's what I thought until tonight, but everyone got seriously weird about the whole idea."

"That's just because, you know, it's weird! I can see Percy, but Oliver - he's the Captain of the Quidditch team!"

"So because he plays Quidditch he couldn't be gay?"

"No! That's not what I mean. Look, I already said that I wouldn't care if they were, why are you pestering me?"

"I'm just wondering if Percy and Oliver know nobody would care. Because if they WERE, then sitting in here tonight I don't think they would have got that impression. And they might be right that some people wouldn't like it."

Fred was unable to think of an answer, and just muttered "Go to sleep" before pulling the blankets over his head. George sighed and lay back down. Fred didn't relax until George's breathing had evened out, fearing more awkward questions. Of course no one would really mind if those two were dating, and of course they knew it. Certainly, Percy knew he and George well enough to know that THEY wouldn't care.

Didn't he?

Because Fred, personally, wouldn't care. As long as they weren't, you know, all huggy in front of him like Percy had been with Penny. Because that would be gross. He twisted restlessly, trying to get comfortable. He wasn't homophobic. He would just need time to get used to the idea, that's all. And Percy would know that any unease he showed was just that it was a new thing, right? And Oliver, of course, had been one of his heroes since first day at Hogwarts. He would know Fred wouldn't abandon him if he were gay, right?

Two hours of tossing and turning later, Fred gave up and got out of bed. Briefly, he considered waking up George, but he knew what he had to do if he ever wanted to sleep again. He slipped out of the room and up the stairs to Percy's room. Long practice allowed him to quietly open the door and walk over to Percy's bed without waking anyone. Percy was sound asleep, his glasses on the night table beside him. You could tell he was a Weasley, Fred reflected, even in his sleep. The moonlight was just bright enough to make out the unruly red hair and freckled face.

"Percy?" he whispered.

Percy's eyes opened immediately and he scrambled to grab his glasses. "Fred?" he said in confusion, settling the oversized glasses on his face. "What's wrong?" He slid over on the bed so that Fred could sit down. Half asleep, with no one around, his usual sarcastic manner was missing. Or maybe it was just that Fred looked distraught. He hoped he didn't look distraught, but found himself scrambling onto the bed next to Percy like he used to when he was small, and had a nightmare.

"Percy, you know that no matter what we wouldn't abandon you or think you were a freak or anything right?"

Percy looked startled. "What brought this on?"

"George and I were talking... about earlier... And you know that, okay, it would take some getting used to, we were just quiet and then making all those jokes because we'd never thought of it and we weren't used to the idea, but we wouldn't MIND if you liked Oliver. I mean, he's a great guy and we're not... we're not homophobic or going to turn our backs on you or anything - " Fred broke off with a gasp, not sure if anything sensible had come out.

Percy was silent for a long minute, before giving a little laugh, which sounded like it caught in his throat. "I'm glad to know you would support me if I were in a gay relationship," he said wryly. Fred stiffened, offended, and started to get up, but Percy grabbed him by the arm. "I didn't mean that the way it came out, I'm sorry. I just... wasn't expecting that. Thank you."

Fred blinked at the sincerity in Percy's voice. Maybe George was right, and Percy had needed to hear someone say that it was okay, that they wouldn't turn their backs on him.

Feeling relieved but somewhat embarrassed, Fred smiled at Percy mischievously. "Of course, that doesn't mean we're not going to tease the hell out of you if you're dating him. It's our duty as your younger brothers, and we take our mocking responsibilities very seriously."

Percy actually snickered, and Fred was surprised to realize that deep down, his brother really hadn't changed from the boy he'd been before Hogwarts. And he also realized that he'd sort of missed talking to this version of Percy.

"Are you?" Fred asked abruptly, after a moment of silence.

"Am I what? Gay? In l-love with Oliver?" Percy said, blinking and looking uneasy. He glanced at the bed next to his, and Fred realized it was Oliver's. He appeared to be soundly asleep.

"Either. Both. Are you?" Fred asked. He wasn't sure he really wanted to know the answer, but this was his brother, and as such he should know.

"I – I - that is…" Percy was extremely flustered, and closer to his usual self. "Really, Fred, I don't think that's the issue here. You should get back to bed."

Fred didn't move and stared at his brother, trying to convey the fact that just this once he was deadly serious. "Its not that it matters if you are… it's that, if you are, I should know. Because you're my brother."

Another little laugh from Percy, as he lowered his head into his hands. "You're determined to have this out now, aren't you…" he sighed.

"Yeah," Fred said.

"I guess I must be, for both of those questions. Morgan wasn't wrong about me."

"So you and Oliver are… dating?" Fred said, feeling oddly better now that he knew for sure.

"No."

Fred blinked. "Why not? If you like him, and he likes you, there's no reason you shouldn't date!" His voice was indignant and starting to rise above the whisper he'd been speaking in.

Percy clapped a hand over Fred's mouth, glancing around the dormitory. "Will you be quiet?" he hissed. "Even if you are being surprisingly open-minded about this, that doesn't mean other people are going to be!"

"You're not dating because you're afraid people are going to disapprove? That's stupid…"

"Fred! Will you just… shut up for a minute, okay?" Percy took a deep breath. "We're not dating because regardless of Morgan being right about me, that doesn't mean that she was right about Oliver. Or that he'd be willing to act on it, or that-"

"She was right about me and I'm more than willing to act on it, if the feeling is mutual," came a quiet voice from the next bed, causing both Weasleys to jump. It was Oliver, now sitting up.

Percy's jaw dropped, and he appeared quite lost for words as he stared at Oliver.

Fred snickered. "Hey, you found a way to make him stop talking!" he exclaimed to Oliver.

Oliver was still watching Percy, however, and Fred was beginning to get the idea that he was in the way. "I'm just going to … go back to bed now. Err… Goodnight…"

Percy abruptly twisted around to look at Fred. "Yes, you should… get some sleep…" he murmured. Fred took in the shocked look on his brother's face and stifled a giggle. When he told George about this they were going to have SO much fun with Percy and Oliver. And anyone who had a problem with the two of them would be dealing with the Twins… his eyes lit up as he began mentally listing the torments they could inflict on these unfortunates.

"Fred?"

"Yeah?" Fred paused at the door.

"Thanks," Percy said softly. Surprised once again, Fred managed a jerky nod before he slipped out of the room.

He was soundly and peacefully asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Notes:  
> The "magazines" are based on newsletters that were made in my high school. Yet another example of truth being even stranger than fiction.


End file.
